I usually love Alana's decks but this one is challenging me to be honest. The visuals, although beautiful, just arent hitting. I admit I have problems with oracles that are heavily human focused imagery, but its even more alienating when the people depicted are all specifically young western "model" beauty standard. For me it feels very New Age-y but also like a Elle cover shoot with "shaman" imagery thrown in. Im sorry for being negative because I can see a lot of work has been put in to make it beautiful aesthetically, and Alana has worked on that CHUNKY book!
Everything is gorgeous. Sacred Rebels was one of my first decks, and I still love it. This guidebook sounds similarly amazing. Not a fan of switching the orientation back and forth. Also, I'm starting to be aware of decks where every person could be on the cover of Vogue... in the '80s. There's a little skin-color diversity, but overall, the deck has a universal thin, young, high facial symmetry, model look to them. It's 30-ish cards with similar faces, noses, cupid's bow lips with flowing hair. It feels weird to have, for example, no crone energy at all. Even the last mother card is very youthful. And that's even weirder since the deck claims to be about the wisdom of the divine feminine, but there's not a wrinkle, gray hair, or body bulge in sight.
That’s a good point. Age is poorly represented in the deck. I believe they have gone with an eternal beauty vibe which is fine, but as you said, the lack of a solid Crone card is bothersome.
Thank you for this unboxing and flip through!! Its such a beautiful deck. I would love you to do a follow-up video in a few weeks/months after you've been using the deck, to share your experience with it and let us know if it has been helpful with your heart healing journey (both surgical and emotional healing), or if it has helped with your ADHD neurodivergence (I am autistic, so I'm always interested in decks that can help me process the world and see life from different perspectives; decks that make me use my brain differently). Or maybe do a comparison video between this and some other Alana Fairchild decks (I know you were using the Kali oracle recently, so I'd be interested in an update on that one too). I've been wanting to get an Alana Fairchild deck for a long time, and I think this might be the one. I can't afford to buy it right now, so I'm living vicariously through RU-vid until I am able to get it. ❤
I'm so sad! I LOVE Alanna (Kali, Wild Kuan Yin) and was delighted to see she had another new one but my goodness I can't with the art. This is a shaman deck? Are you sure? Why is everyone white and young? Major oversight of the artist in my opinion. Such a disappointment. The art is beautiful and some of the images are stunning but the lack of diversity and accurate representation in a deck that should be rich with culture hurts me. The guidebook looks fantastic but the art just seems SO out of touch, I don't think I'm willing to take the plunge. This definitely was a polarizing experience and a NO for me, but I'm happy you and others feel connected to it!!!! Alanna is such a gifter developer/creator.
I agree, I have this feeling (just a feeling) that the creator chose pre-igniting artwork based on “the vibe” and make it fit the deck and it’s individual card meanings. The lack of diversity is indeed a big issue in a deck that focuses on shamanism which is quite well know to be a cross-cultural phenomenon.
I was thinking it may be too much reading as well as i believe i have adhd as well as my grown kids but one card a week i think i could manage 🥰Great idea Avalon ❤@@AvalonCameron
Thank you for the flip through. These cards aren't available to get here in America until Sept. I can't wait. Such primative power practically charging from each image.
I'm a huge Alana Fairchild fan, but I think she's often let down by the art work on her decks. To me, this is borderline beautiful/ cliched shamanic. I work as a shamanic practitioner, and trained widely, and I feel this is part of how the Western world has commodified a wise and wild indigenous healing and spritual practice. IAs other commenters have said, all the women are young and thin, and mostly Western looking. And the men with animal heads are muscled and buff. Sigh. Really? I'm sure the text will contain amazing wisdom and the healing practices will be powerful. But I'm pretty turned off by the art, and have put off buying it for this reason.
Honestly, I would have to agree. I have tried working with this deck and it falls flat quite often as the image is so rigid and contained. Sure it beautiful imagery but I do not believe it’s the right imagery for a shamanic style of deck. The book is amazing, but the way the deck speaks is falls short. Bit of a shame really.
@AvalonCameron I thought it might be wonky at first, too. I'd have to get my hands on it to see how it feels to use. Would be interesting to see a whole deck landscape style. Probably wouldn't reach for it much since I'm not sure if i could get use it. But I'd buy one just because 🤣
The images are beautiful and I would have loved there to have been elder crones given that it is Shamanic. Interesting the women are all young age range. And interesting just one male. Having said that I love Alana Fairchild Oracles. And I will be purchasing this one too. Many thanks for the video.
I think the cards are Beautiful but was thinking too much reading but i read your comment at the bottom and i could do a card a week 🥰🥰❤❤Thank you Avalon. Much love and many Blessings ! ❤❤🙏🙏
Hello, thanks for this review. I know Alana Fairchild is renown for her decks. Find this deck very impressive . Not sure which card I love most, if I come upon one by looking at video again I'll come comment on it. These cards are gorgeous. This deck is quite different from most. I'm into more simple decks lately but I'm not saying I wouldn't buy it. I do love looking at the cards. I agree with the person that's not a fan.of cards in the other direction. I'm not a fan.
Honestly, i do really like this deck and i always call Alana deck as the "spiritual workbook deck" since there is a lot of activities, information for you to use as a guide and to "work" on. For me, Alana deck is good for contemplative work and not really made for what i call as "mundane fortune telling" of your typical question. I am really impressed with the volume of the guidebook and i do love a chunky guidebook. I do appreciate there is some male/masculine depiction in the artwork because it is rarely (or not a lot) shown in Alana decks or other oracle cards artwork that have more female/feminine figures. The energy of this deck is both masculine and feminine with earthy root tone energy. Very sturdy in a way. Maybe this is a good deck to work with the lower chakra like Solar, Sacral and Root. This is quite interesting and I'm looking forward to own this deck one day, when the opportunity comes ❤
Thank you sharing your thoughts 💭 Yes, I agree. Alana always go well above the status quo when creating an Oracle deck. She puts a lot of heart and soul and personal wisdom into each card. You are right on the lower chakra suggesting, I have been using the deck daily and each card felt extremely sacral and root chakra oriented.
This is a beautiful oracle. I love that it has a primitive rawness and I really connect to that. I can not wait to own this deck and to read all that Alana Fairchild says about her oracle. Thank you Avalon for another amazing video.
